Working Out with Legendary Ducks

The summer cross country season is approaching, so I thought that I should start including some speed workouts into my training. I run my speed workouts at Duniway Track, about a minute from my office, but I like to run through the Lair Hill Neighborhood first as a warm-up. Since I haven't run fast in about a year, I took it relatively easy, running 1-mile (6:00), 800 meters (2:57), and 2x400 meters (1:27, 1:26)--walking and slowly running 400 meters between each interval--but still finishing tired.

As I was running, I noticed a guy stretching out on the track in a most unusual manner--he was able to contort his body in ways I didn't think possible. Eventually I caught a glimpse of his face, and I recognized him: Galen Rupp. And it wasn't long before I realized I should be looking for his coach, and sure enough, he was there too: Alberto Salazar. I'm not sure why they left the happy confines of the Nike campus (where I often ran when I lived in Beaverton), but it was fun to share the track with two running legends.

By the way, Galen drives an 09 Infiniti G37, while Alberto sports an early 2000's BMW 325--both sexy black in color. I know that's what you really want to know.

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